A teenager broke into her house in Montana with a rifle one night while she
was in bed, and attempted rape. She fought and disarmed him, but was deeply
shaken by the assault. She felt the world wasn't safe after that. She still
woke between 2 and 4 A.M. and had trouble getting back to sleep.

When she pressed charges, Judy was shunned in her small town , causing her to
move to the city. She had always lived her life by her family's standards and
didn't know what she was capable of doing until she moved away.

Judy desired bread (2), potatoes (2) and chocolate(1).

Now analyze the case and decide what remedy fits Judy's symptoms the best.
Turn to page ____ for follow-up and discussion.

The remedy for Judy's case was not immediately obvious. Strong
consideration was given to Arsenicum, Alumina and Syphilinum. It
was clear that Judy needed a remedy with a strong focus on obsessive compulsive
behaviors. Syphilinum is a remedy which has a strong fear of contagion
and germs, which often leads to compulsive handwashing. Arsenicum is
very fastidious, has strong anxiety about health and has insomnia after
midnight. Alumina has loss of personal identity and fears and impulses
to hurt themselves or others upon seeing a knife or blood, as well as a desire
for starch and potatoes. The remedy that we chose, however, was Iodum.

It was the presenting complaint of thyroid problems that first drew our
attention to the remedy Iodum. Iodum is the element iodine. As a
necessary element in the diet for the prevention of goitre and hypothyroidism,
iodine is needed for the manufacture of the thyroid hormone, thyroxine. It
forms an integral part of the precursor for this hormone, triiodothyronine.
Thyroid hormone is necessary for the regulation of metabolism throughout the
body. A deficiency of thyroxine (hypothyroidism) slows metabolism, causing
weight gain, hair loss and dryness, while an excess causes hyperthyroidism,
with increased metabolism, heat, anxiety, protrusion of the eyeballs,
restlessness. palpitations and hunger.

These symptoms of hyperthyroidism are the very symptoms typically found in the
homeopathic picture of Iodum, and the remedy has very successfully
treated many cases of Grave's disease, and other forms of hyperthyroidism. It
may also be used, however, in hypothyroid or euthyroid states if other
characteristic symptoms are present, showing the polarity which often exists in
remedies..

James Tyler Kent describes the Iodum mental state as characterized by
"... excitement, anxiety, impulses, melancholy; he wants to do something, wants
to hurry; he has impulses to kill. The impulse to do violence is sudden." The
impulse to run is very strong for Iodum patients, as well as the sudden
impulse to kill. Iodum may suddenly feel the urge to kill someone, or
even himself, without really knowing why. There is a driven quality to
Iodum, as though the person has too much energy, and the energy is
expressed as impulsive behavior.

According to proving symptoms collected by Rajan Sankaran, reported in his
book The Substance of Homeopathy, Iodum has an inner feeling of sudden
intense danger which needs urgent action to deal with it. There is also a
"...feeling like that of being starved by one's own parents, with a tremendous
sense of betrayal, shock and disappointment." This is a feeling of being
betrayed, let down or hurt by those on whom you depend, demanding urgent, even
violent action in response.

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